Help us to modernise all our courts - Justice Wiredu appeals
Report corrupt judges to me - acting chief Justice
Two persons before tribunal for fraud
Accra (Greater Accra) 01 August 2001
The acting Chief Justice, Mr Edward Kwame Wiredu, on Tuesday appealed to local and foreign institutions to support the judicial service to transform all its courts into fast track ones to ensure the efficient delivery and satisfactory service.
Mr Justice Wiredu, who was speaking at a public forum in Accra, said the fund required for the replication of the fast track courts was enormous and could, therefore, not be provided by the central government alone.
"We need computers to help us perform efficiently and deliver service to the public faster," he said. "We need help from donors - from the international community. We must be equally assisted by our local industries and banks."
Mr Justice Wiredu recounted failed efforts since 1971 to modernise the judicial service, saying that lack of adequate funds stifled those projects. "We are doomed if the fast track courts fail," he said. "It behoves all of us to lift the judiciary from its present state of deprivation to the level that will enable it to perform its role in the present democratic dispensation efficiently and effectively and with dispatch."
Over 51 million dollars is required to computerise the nation's 251 courts and tribunals. It costs 205,000 dollars to establish a fast track court. So far, only two have been established.
The forum, the first of its kind, was to inform the public and stakeholders about the on-going automation reform and modernisation of the judicial service.
It will be organised every quarter to provide opportunity for the general public and the leadership of the judicial service to interact and dialogue on issues pertaining to the efficient dispensation of justice and building of broad-based support for the modernisation programme.
Representatives of civil society organisations, media houses, government institutions, Parliament, the diplomatic corps and international development partners attended it.
Mr Justice Wiredu said the transformation project requires computers and their accessories, recording machines, electronic typewriters, modern electronic libraries, generators, photocopiers, motor cycles for bailiffs, among other things.
He lauded the success of the fast track courts, so far, in eliminating the usual delays involved in the trial of cases in the courts that are not yet computerised.
"I am indeed satisfied with the progress of work at the fast track courts. And I believe with the commitment of judges, lawyers and litigants who practise in or utilize the courts, it can be confidently asserted that we are on the right path and our objective is not beyond human achievement."
The fundamental objective of the fast track project is to reduce the time for which cases are heard to six months. Some cases have been in court for more than 10 years.
"This may sound ambitious or difficult, but I am proud to announce that within these four months, what initially sounded impossible has been achieved," said the acting Chief Justice.
"... I shall refer to only two cases - one criminal and one investment case. In the criminal case it took two-and-a-half months - 46 working days - 24 sitting days made up of 42 man- hours. An appeal record of over 300 pages of proceedings took five working days to produce and compile and one week to dispose of the appeal.
"The investment case took three weeks - 15 working days - five sitting days made of 15 man-hours".
Mr Justice Wiredu expressed regret that many courts were still using typewriters, manufactured in the 1950s, saying those outmoded machines were considered as luxury in magistrate courts.
He commended the World Bank for its support in the establishment of the fast track courts.
Mr Justice Stephen Alan Brobbey, Coordinator of the fast track project, explained the modernisation programme to participants, saying that the fast track courts were neither new nor rival institutions.
He stressed that they are an upgraded version of the existing ones, which strictly adhere to the same court rules.
Mr Justice Brobbey said in Accra alone an average of 50 land cases and 55 other cases are filed daily, resulting in a heavy backlog of cases.
He described the delay in the administration of justice as a serious problem, saying some cases had been pending for 15 years, and cited one, which had dragged on since 1966.
Mr Justice Brobbey, who is also an Appeal Court Judge, said though most cases were delayed by the manual and laborious procedures used in the courts, some delays were deliberately caused to favour certain parties.
Quoting Article 30, section 169, he criticised the abuse of the adjournment system, saying adjournments should not be fixed for one month and beyond, unless tangible reasons bordering on health issues or other important reasons are given.
Mr Justice Brobbey said the fast track courts do not encourage unnecessary adjournments.
Cases qualified for trial there include those involving investments and investors, banks, industrial disputes, election petitions, defamation and environmental cases.
It has so far tried seven civil cases and two criminal ones.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01 August 2001
The acting Chief Justice, Mr Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, on Tuesday urged Ghanaians to report dishonest judges to him for the necessary disciplinary action to be taken against them.
"...I wish to re-echo my abhorrence to inefficiency, undue delay in the dispensation of justice and intolerance to corruption in any form," Justice Wiredu told a forum organised in Accra to inform the public and stakeholders about the on-going automation reform and modernisation of the judicial service.
The forum, to be known as the Chief Justice's Public Forum, will be organised every quarter to provide opportunity for the public and the leadership of the judicial service to interact and deliberate on issues pertaining to the efficient dispensation of justice programme.
Mr Justice Wiredu noted that the judicial service had published guidelines on the delivery of judgments, administrative directives and the grant of adjournment for judges and chairpersons of tribunals.
The guidelines, published with the assistance of the World Bank, are part of internal control and disciplinary measures.
"As head of the judiciary, my highest ambition is to build the highest level of excellence, efficiency and faster administration of service, thus, eliminating any factor or factors that contribute to corruption," he said.
Representatives of civil society organisations, the media, government institutions, Parliament, diplomatic corps and international development partners attended the forum.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 01August 2001
Two persons, who defrauded a South African of 35,000 US dollars on Tuesday appeared before a circuit tribunal in Accra.
Joseph Kpeto, alias Ndebele Epe Mayele, an artist and Eddie Bartels alias Osei Kwame, a businessman are also charged with five counts of conspiracy, defrauding by false pretences and deceiving a public officer.
They pleaded not guilty and were granted 20 million cedis bail each, with one surety to be justified.
Kpeto and Bartels had earlier appeared before the same tribunal chaired by Mr. Imoru Ziblim together with Johann Rall, an accountant and Paul Stephanus Alberts, a Photo Journalist on charges of conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences.
Prosecuting Police Inspector Emmanuel T. Boison said earlier in July the accused persons invited Alberts to Ghana.
Kpeto who claimed to be the son of Ex-General Mayele of the Mobuto regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo told Alberts that he had in his custody a trunk full of millions of US dollar notes in black bills being part of the late Mobuto's wealth.
He again told Mr. Albert that, the notes were in a strong room of a Security Company called Galaxy Security and Financial Trust located at Teshie Nungua and introduced Bartels as the administrative manager of the company.
Inspector Boison said Kpeto acquired himself a refugee travelling identification card in the name of Ndebele Epe Mayele of Zaire and swore a declaration in March this year as the biological son of General Mayele and Antionnette Mayele both of Zaire to support his nationality as a Congolese.
Bartels also acquired a complimentary card with the name Osei Kwame and made a false representation to Mr. Alberts that the demurrage charges for the alleged trunk containing the dollars in custody of the Security Company was to the tune of 60,000 dollars. Mr. Alberts could not raise the required amount so he paid 10, 030 dollars as deposit to the accused persons.
Inspector Boison said Mr. Alberts, after paying the deposit run out of funds and communicated to a friend in London to transfer an amount of 35,000 dollars for his release as he had been taken hostage in Ghana.
The prosecutor said the friend reported the matter to the Scotland Yard police who alerted the security agencies in Ghana and the accused persons were arrested on July 18 this year when they accompanied Mr. Alberts to Tema to collect the money.
An amount of 4,000 dollars was retrieved from Bartels during a search.
GRi…/
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